It's A Game
by Delenn
Summary: Ares asks Xena a very serious question, and the answer is not at all what Gabrielle expected.


**Disclaimer: This story is purely for fun, and to keep the people from the Xena and Ares shippers club from going crazy, I get no profit from this story. The story it's self belongs to me alone. The characters Xena, Gabrielle, and Ares ect. do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. No copy write infringement intended. Please do not use this story on your web site, web page ect. without first asking me and receiving my permission, you may however use this story for private use, but must use it with all disclaimers. If you would like to send this story to a friend, please ask me first, and receive my permission, and you must not get any profit from the transaction. I get no profit in anyway from this story.   
  
Authors note: Wow that was a pretty long disclaimer wasn't it?? I hope I got everything in though, I don't want anybody to take this story the wrong way! If the idea of Xena and Ares in love, of them having any past relationship, or if Gabrielle and Xena being 'just friends' is not the type of story you want to read, please go someplace else. There was a sequel to this, but I deleted it cause I don't really think it needs one... If you think it does I can send what I have of it to you.   
  
Dedications: This story is for Kat, Illy, Noie, Liz, SR, GA, and for everyone at the shippers club for their support, and for liking all my stories, even when I didn't!   
  
Rated: PG   
  
Now for the story!!!!! *everyone claps***   
  


* * *

  
  


It's a Game  
By Delenn

  
  
  
  
Xena held her hand up, signaling for Gabrielle to stop, which Gabrielle did. Xena looked around several times, before focusing on one spot. After a minute Xena stated "You can come out now, Ares, I know you're there."   
  
Ares appeared, and said "That's not a very nice way to great an old friend, now is it?"   
  
Xena stated coldly "We are not old friends."   
  
Ares smiled charmingly and replied "That's right, Xena dear, we were much more then just friends..."   
  
Xena rolled her eyes and was about to say something, when Gabrielle said "Why don't you just leave us alone?"   
  
Xena nodded, Ares' face fell, and then he asked in a serious tone "Do you really want me to leave you alone, Xena?"   
  
Then Ares disappeared, a second later he reappeared behind Xena and whispered into her ear "Before you answer, come with me, so we can talk with out t....Gabrielle interrupting..."   
  
Ares was almost stunned when Xena asked "Where?"   
  
Ares quickly recovered and said "My fortress, it's easer to get down from then Mt. Olympus,"   
  
Xena was silent a second, ignoring Gabrielle who was asking what they were talking about, then Xena said "Alright, but you bring me right back here!"   
  
Ares nodded, and they disappeared, leaving a stunned Gabrielle by herself.   
  


~(*)~

  
  
Xena asked, somewhat confused as to why she'd agreed to this in the first place. "Well?"   
  
Ares explained carefully, "If you ask, I'll leave you alone, but I want you to know what that means, Xena. I will not come to see you, weather you call me or not, I will not be able to stop by for visits, or help you with any plans, you wouldn't see me again. Unless, of course, you happened to run into me while I was fighting Hercules, but I wouldn't be able to acknowledge you then either..."   
  
Xena said, already thinking it over, "Fine, you've said what you wanted to, now take me back, that was the deal."   
  
Ares replied, trying not to seem as worried as he was. "Of course, my dear, remember what I said,"   
  


~(*)~

  
  
Then next thing Xena saw was Gabrielle, who immediately asked "What happened? What did Ares say, did you tell him to leave you alone?"   
  
Xena frowned at her friends line of questioning "I have to think about this, let's stop here Gabrielle?"   
  
Gabrielle sighed and said "Alright, but you have to tell me what happened, after you've 'thought about it!"   
  


~(*)~

  
  
_"I wonder, what would my life be like if Ares wasn't here? Sure he's always bugging me, but in some ways it's nice to have Ares around, he makes me feel......special. Of course it's not fun to be thought of as a prize, but I guess because he acts like there is no one to replace me, that it's nice having him around. Then there is the endless feud Hercules and Ares have, I remember when I used Hercules to make Ares jealous, Ares was so mad at Hercules after that, he never blamed me, though. And Ares has always let me have my way. I don't think anybody realizes that, I still belong to Ares, in a sense, but he lets me pretend that I don't, it's like a...game...yes a game."_ Xena stopped thinking and relaxed. She had come to a conclusion, she liked that Ares was always 'bugging' her. Gabrielle asked cautiously "Xena, what did you have to think about?"   
  
Xena turned to Gabrielle, and said "I was just thinking about what Ares said, you know, about him leaving me alone if I asked..."   
  
Gabrielle immediately smiled and said "So, you're going to ask him to leave us alone, he won't listen, and it's back to the same thing."   
  
Xena shook her head and said "No, Ares meant it that he would leave me alone."   
  
Gabrielle continued to smile "Good, so you are going to get him to leave you alone?"   
  
Xena stated "No, I'm not, I am not going to have Ares leave me alone."   
  
Gabrielle stared at Xena, her face fell and her mouth opened to say something, but it didn't come out. After a minute Gabrielle managed to ask "WHY?"   
  
Xena started packing their things, and said, quite firmly "Because I don't want Ares to leave me alone. It's time we were leaving, there's a nice little town about a days ride from here, and you'll like the place."   
  
Gabrielle nodded placidly, still in too much shock to say anything.   
  
Awhile later, Gabrielle asked, unable to put this to rest "What made you come to that conclusion?"   
  
Xena said, pretending that she didn't know what Gabrielle was talking about. "Well...you like parties, and festivals, and this town is always having them!"   
  
Gabrielle said in a frustrated tone "I mean about not wanting Ares to leave?"   
  
Xena shrugged, "Oh, that, I just decided that I like having Ares around more then I dislike having him around."   
  
Gabrielle tried again "Xena, this is ARES we are talking about!!!"   
  
Xena answered in a patent, but aggravated tone "I know, Gabrielle..."   
  
Gabrielle sighed, and focused on the town in which they were going to be visiting. Xena smiled a wicked smile, there was a rather large temple to Ares in the town they were headed for, and Gabrielle would most likely be too occupied with the parties to notice Xena slip away for a little bit.   
  


~(*)~

  
  
Xena looked over her shoulder, Gabrielle was quite drunk, and was dancing with some guy. Xena smiled as she slipped away from the group and headed to the woods, on the other side was where Ares' temple was. Gabrielle was checking out a rather cute guy as she danced with another guy, all in all she was much to busy to notice Xena leave.   
  
  
  
Xena unconsciously frowned, she remembered this place quite well. Xena watched the priest' move around the temple, they hadn't spotted her yet, there was a secret door that only the head priest' and a few select people knew how to open, and even less could open it, Xena carefully walked over to the door and was about to open it when one of the Priest' spotted her and said in a commanding voice "I'm sorry, but if you are looking to make a sacrifice, then you are in the wrong room."   
  
Xena turned around and flashed the Priest a positively evil smile, before unhooking her Chakram and throwing it around the room, carefully avoiding any main support beams. Xena caught her Chakram and asked "You were saying something?"   
  
The priest took a few steps back, then said "Is there anything you need, M'lady?"   
  
Xena waved her hand in a dismissing motion, and said "Go,"   
  
When the priest' had left, Xena placed her Chakram on the carved Chakram on the door, the door opened, Xena rehooked her Chakram and walked into the room. Xena walked around the room a few times, then called, barely above a whisper. "Ares!"   
  
Ares hadn't believed that Xena was here, he had always known that she stayed as far away from his temple's as she could, Xena didn't want anyone to know just how close their relationship had been. After a second Ares appeared and asked "Yes?"   
  
Xena turned around to face him, and said "You know, those priest' really were quite funny when I showed them my Chakram..."   
  
Ares wasn't quite sure what to think, Xena was acting very strange. She continued "It's strange though, that none of them recognized me, I recognized some of them,"   
  
Ares tried to hide his uncertainty about Xena's behavior, and joked "I see you decided that I was worth keeping around..."   
  
Xena had to turn away to keep from giggling, Ares was not doing a very good job of hiding how uncertain he was. Xena said "On one condition, no more games!"   
  
Ares inquired "Games? What do you mean 'no more games?"   
  
Xena turned to face Ares, and said "I was thinking about what you had said, and I realized that every time you try to get me back, it's like a game, if you really wanted me back, all you have to do is make me come back. So no more games, either you make me come back to you, or you don't, but no more games!"   
  
Ares asked careful not to upset her "Is that all?"   
  
Xena asked unsure as Ares turned to go "Wait, where are you going?"   
  
Ares said casually "You can do what you want, Xena, no more games, I promise."   
  
Xena looked slightly disappointed, as she asked "So that's it, you're just going to go back to Olympus?"   
  
Suddenly Ares smiled and said "Do what you like, Xena, don't forget, we have an eternity to do anything..."   
  
Xena almost screamed "You said that I was no longer a goddess!!!"   
  
Ares pointed out slyly "Correction, I said I would make you mortal again, I never said when"   
  
Xena frowned, upset by this realization, "I asked you to make me mortal again."   
  
Ares answered "As you said, my dear, you are still mine, in a sense, therefore I have final say, and I didn't think you really needed to give up your godhood, just yet..."   
  
Xena blew Ares a kiss, then turned away and said "See you in a lifetime then, Ares."   
  
As Xena was leaving, Ares said so that she just barely heard him "I love you Xena."   
  
Xena said, in Ares' mind _"I love you too."_   
  


The End


End file.
